Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1887-10-20
TheTOrtiIita Mines.
How the Property Imprcsaes Il
Hartford Man.
A SHREWD YANKEE SENDS AN EXPERT
THE EXPERTS OPINION

A SHREWD YANKEE SENDS AN EXPERT
TO LOOK OVER THE PRoPERTY--
THE EXPERTS OPINION
AND ADVICE
The Tortilita Gold and Silver Mining
Company's Arizona mining properties,
which were quite fully described in The
EVENING Posi- on the 18th inst, have
attracted wide attention, opening up, as
they do, some wonderful experiences in
mining precious ores, and a most re-
markable opportunity for safe and pro-
fitable Investment. Our readers Will be
interested in Il rerusal of the following
extract from a private letter received
in this city yesterday, which bears di-
rectly upon this subject, and fully sub
stantiates the favorable impression al
ready created and confined by the
statements of The POST and other lead
ingjournals in various parts ofthe coun.
Try. we quote:
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, August IS, 81.
Dear Brother-Your telegram Of the
18th inst. found me at Los Angeles, CAL
norma, but an hour or two before my
intended departure for the east, and |
am very happy thus to haye been able to
perform the pleasant task which you
assigned to me, OF side trip to the
Owls Head mining district, on my way
home. | left Los Angeles at 1911 Dam.
on Thursday, by the Southern Pacific
railroad, and at ]l:45 next morning
found myself al Tucson, which your dis
patch informed M is The nearest lnpof-
tant railroad point to the mines. Al
though our instructions by wire We're
simply to go to the mines and get at
the true lnwardness of the whole buSl-
ness | easily understood that what
YOU wanted OF me was to know from
the personal observation of a reIiable
friend all that could be learned about
some mining scheme in which you or
your neighbors We're probably invited
10 become participants, and IN Which
your confidence might perhaps be abso.
lutte. | have, as you know, seen some.
thing of mines and mining IN California
and Colorado; and so when the Tucson
boniface asked if wanted a top or open
buggy, | told him to give me his best
saddle horse, and without IN ounce Of
baggage l started off over the hills,
thirty. odd miles to the camp of the Tor
tilita Mining Company The roads
were much better than l expected to
find, and the clock was just striking
slXwhen reiuedup at an unpreten tious
wooden builting which looked as tho
it might be the camp post office, OF
store, but which proved to be the office
of the mining company and the head
quarters of Mr. ID. Il. Elmore, superin
tendent in charge Of the active opera
tons at the mines. Declining the hos
pitality which he offered, ] managed to
get supper and lodging ut the boarding
house adjoining the little crushing
and smelling works and at an earl y
hour next morning set out fort he mines,
which had been located for me by Il
Mexican at the mill in such a way that
by the aid OF a rough sketch which ]
made on paper under his direction, |
felt SUE Of easily finding them. There
are twelve mines in the Tortllita group.
l personally visited and inspected eight
of these during the day, finding active
operations in progress at only six, viz
The Jesse Benton, Tom Centon, By
Chance and BY Chance Extension at the
northeast cluster, and the Red Peach
and Lazy Sleeper at the southwest clus-
ter. The little mill has only five stamps
and buta very moderate amount Of min
ing is Necessary to keep it going. There
is any quantity of ore in sight and
within easy reach at all of the eight
mines which / saw, and | am amazed
that the management is satisfied with
this little one horse mill, knocking the
ore to pieces with five stamps, and get
ting out six or eight hundred dollars IL
day, while fifty stamp mill night be
supplied with good rich ore from these
mines for twenty years to come, yield.
ing six or eight thousand dollars day
without beginning to exhaust this great
field of precious metal. Elmore tells
me this property has recently changed
hands, and that the present company
are negotiating somewhere in the east
for two or these twenty stamp mills.
If this be true, you may set it down for
a fact that this Owls Head district will
astonish the world by the .yastness and
richness of its deposits, and the compa-
ny which owns this group Of mines
will become the wealthiest mining cor
poration at least III America.
remained one day and two nights
at the camp. coming on to Kansas City
by tbs Atlantic express which caches
Tucson at midday on Sunday, arriving
here early this morning, and now en-
braojng the first opportunity to write
you. ! 81 to Chicago this evening, and